Grant Writer Volunteer Unpaid Position

Organization: Smiles Foundation
Position Type: Volunteer
Location: Remote – Canada
Time Commitment: Approximately 5–10 hours per week
Minimum Commitment: 6 months
Number of Positions Available: Multiple
Department: Fundraising & Events

About Smiles Foundation

Smiles Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to improving access to dental care, health education, and community support for underserved populations.

Our work includes community initiatives in Canada as well as programs and operations in the Dominican Republic, where we collaborate with local clinics, professionals, volunteers, donors, and community partners to help expand access to essential dental care and resources.

As our organization continues to grow, we are strengthening our fundraising capacity and are looking for motivated Volunteer Grant Writers to help us identify funding opportunities and develop compelling grant applications and proposals.

About the Role

Smiles Foundation is seeking detail-oriented and skilled Volunteer Grant Writers to support our fundraising efforts by researching funding opportunities and preparing high-quality grant applications, Letters of Intent (LOIs), concept notes, proposals, and other funding-related materials.

At this time, Smiles Foundation does not have a dedicated Grant Research Volunteer. Therefore, the Grant Writer will also be responsible for researching, identifying, and conducting an initial assessment of potential grant opportunities. This responsibility will remain part of the role until a dedicated volunteer is recruited to support grant research.

Once a dedicated Grant Research Volunteer joins the team, the Grant Writer’s primary focus will shift toward grant writing, proposal development, and supporting applications for opportunities identified and approved by the organization.

The Grant Writer will work with organizational information, program descriptions, impact data, budgets, statistics, and other approved materials to develop persuasive applications that clearly communicate Smiles Foundation’s mission, programs, needs, and expected impact.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with grant writing, nonprofit, fundraising, communications, research, or professional writing experience who would like to contribute their skills to a meaningful organization while developing additional hands-on grant-writing experience.

Key Responsibilities

Grant Research & Opportunity Identification

Until a dedicated Grant Research Volunteer is recruited, responsibilities will include:

• Research potential funding opportunities from foundations, government programs, corporations, community funds, and other relevant sources.
• Identify grants that align with Smiles Foundation’s mission, programs, geographic scope, organizational eligibility, and funding needs.
• Review eligibility criteria, funding priorities, deadlines, application requirements, restrictions, and available funding amounts.
• Conduct an initial assessment of opportunities before recommending them for consideration.
• Maintain an organized list or tracker of potential grant opportunities, including deadlines, requirements, funding amounts, and application status.
• Prioritize opportunities based on organizational fit, eligibility, potential impact, and upcoming deadlines.
• Share promising opportunities with organizational leadership for review and approval before significant application work begins.
• Monitor relevant funding sources for new or recurring opportunities.

Grant Writing & Proposal Development

• Prepare and draft grant applications, funding proposals, Letters of Intent (LOIs), concept notes, and other funding-related submissions.
• Review grant guidelines, eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, and funder priorities before beginning each application.
• Tailor proposals and organizational information to align with the specific priorities and requirements of each funder.
• Develop clear, compelling, and well-structured narratives that communicate organizational needs, program objectives, activities, expected outcomes, and community impact.
• Incorporate approved organizational statistics, program information, impact data, budgets, and supporting information into applications.
• Ensure applications address all questions and requirements established by the funder.
• Edit and proofread proposals for clarity, consistency, accuracy, grammar, and professionalism.
• Revise drafts based on feedback from organizational leadership and relevant team members.
• Support the preparation of supporting documents required for grant submissions.
• Help ensure grant applications are completed with sufficient time for internal review and approval before submission deadlines.

Grant Coordination & Documentation

• Maintain organized records of grant opportunities, drafts, applications, supporting documents, and final submissions.
• Track deadlines and communicate upcoming requirements or potential delays in advance.
• Identify missing information or documentation required to complete applications and communicate these needs to the appropriate team members.
• Maintain reusable organizational language, program descriptions, impact statements, and other grant-writing resources.
• Help develop and improve grant-writing templates and internal resources that can be used for future applications.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding organizational, financial, donor, beneficiary, and program information.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

The Grant Writer may collaborate with different areas of Smiles Foundation to obtain accurate information and strengthen funding proposals, including:

• Fundraising & Events
• Finance
• Operations
• Communications & Storytelling
• Program and clinic teams
• Organizational leadership

The Grant Writer will be expected to communicate proactively when additional information, clarification, supporting documentation, statistics, or budget information is required.

Expected Commitment & Deliverables

We are looking for volunteers who can commit approximately 5–10 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months.

During the initial period, volunteer hours will be divided between grant research and grant writing, depending on available opportunities, application deadlines, and organizational priorities.

Depending on available grant opportunities, complexity, and deadlines, volunteers should generally be prepared to contribute toward approximately 1–2 grant applications or substantial proposal drafts per month, in addition to supporting ongoing grant research until a dedicated Grant Research Volunteer joins the team.

Quality is more important than volume. Applications should be prepared early enough to allow for internal review, feedback, revisions, and final approval before submission.

Because grant applications often involve firm external deadlines, volunteers should communicate proactively if they anticipate being unable to complete an assigned application within the agreed timeline.

Future Division of Grant Research & Grant Writing

Smiles Foundation is working toward developing separate Grant Research and Grant Writing functions within the Fundraising team.

Currently, however, we do not have a dedicated Grant Research Volunteer. For this reason, Grant Writers must be comfortable researching and identifying potential funding opportunities in addition to developing applications.

Once a Grant Research Volunteer is recruited, grant research responsibilities will gradually transition to that role. Grant Writers will then focus primarily on evaluating assigned opportunities, preparing applications, developing proposals, and supporting the submission process.

We want applicants to be aware of this temporary expanded responsibility before committing to the position.

Qualifications

We Are Looking For Someone Who:

• Has strong professional writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Has strong online research skills and is comfortable independently identifying potential funding opportunities.
• Is able to evaluate basic grant eligibility requirements and determine whether opportunities may align with the organization.
• Is able to communicate complex information clearly, persuasively, and concisely.
• Has excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Can carefully follow application instructions, eligibility requirements, word limits, and deadlines.
• Is comfortable reviewing detailed grant guidelines and funder requirements.
• Can work independently while collaborating effectively with a remote team.
• Is comfortable requesting clarification or additional information when needed.
• Can manage multiple documents, opportunities, deadlines, and revisions.
• Demonstrates professionalism, reliability, accountability, and confidentiality.
• Is comfortable working with Google Workspace, particularly Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Sheets.
• Has an interest in nonprofit organizations, community development, healthcare, dental care, international development, fundraising, or related areas.

Preferred Assets

The following are considered assets but are not necessarily required:

• Previous grant writing or proposal-writing experience.
• Previous grant research or funding opportunity research experience.
• Experience working with nonprofit or charitable organizations.
• Experience with fundraising, institutional giving, foundations, government grants, or corporate funding.
• Experience preparing Letters of Intent, concept notes, funding proposals, or similar professional documents.
• Familiarity with Canadian grant programs, foundations, government funding, or corporate giving programs.
• Experience working with budgets, program outcomes, impact measurements, or nonprofit reporting.
• Background in communications, fundraising, nonprofit management, public administration, international development, healthcare, business, English, journalism, or a related field.

What You Will Gain

As a Volunteer Grant Writer with Smiles Foundation, you will have the opportunity to:

• Gain practical experience researching funding opportunities and developing real grant applications and proposals.
• Strengthen your grant-writing, grant-research, and nonprofit fundraising portfolio.
• Learn more about nonprofit fundraising, institutional giving, and organizational development.
• Collaborate with different organizational teams and leadership.
• Develop experience working with programs involving community services, healthcare, dental care, and international operations.
• Contribute directly to funding efforts that can help expand Smiles Foundation’s programs and community impact.
• Receive opportunities for increasing responsibility based on performance, reliability, and organizational needs.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal volunteer is someone who enjoys both researching funding opportunities and transforming organizational information into clear and persuasive proposals.

You should be comfortable working independently, conducting online research, reviewing eligibility requirements, following detailed instructions, meeting deadlines, asking questions when information is missing, and incorporating feedback into your work.

As our Fundraising team develops, the position will become increasingly specialized, allowing Grant Writers to focus primarily on proposal development while a dedicated Grant Research Volunteer supports opportunity identification.

We particularly value volunteers who are reliable and interested in making a meaningful medium- to long-term contribution, rather than participating only for a few weeks.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief statement explaining your interest in volunteering as a Grant Writer with Smiles Foundation.

If available, applicants are encouraged to include a writing sample or an example of a grant proposal, funding application, professional report, academic paper, or other relevant written work.

Selected candidates will be invited to a virtual meeting to discuss their experience, interests, availability, and potential fit with the Smiles Foundation team.

Please apply only if you are able to commit approximately 5–10 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months and are currently comfortable supporting both grant research and grant writing.